A lot has happened this year in travel—good and bad. A number of airline accidents, from the Southwest fatality in April to the more recent Lion Air disaster in October, put plane safety in the forefront of the news. Airbnb found itself making headlines, too, as it struggled adapt to new homesharing regulations from Japan to Los Angeles.

Things on the airline front also started looking up for travelers: Congress passed a bill in September that may set a minimum seat pitch to keep airlines from crowding your knees and will help the FAA cut delays and modernize air traffic control over the next five years. The luxury travel world got even more luxurious, too: LVMH, which owns brands like Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, and Tag Heuer, closed out the year by acquiring Belmond hotels (like the Hotel Cipriani in Venice and Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro) and trains, to add to its ultra-luxe portfolio. And thanks to exclusively business class and premium economy long haul flights on Singapore Airlines, spending nearly 19 hours in the air didn't actually suck. In this week's episode, we cover it all and chat what it means for travel in 2019.

After three years of the Travelogue podcast, this is our last episode. We’ve had such an amazing time sharing our travel stories and tips with you, and want to thank you for being such loyal listeners. You’ll continue to hear your some of favorite Traveler editors over on Women Who Travel, which comes out every Monday. Travelogue's episodes will continue to be available on Spotify, the iTunes store, or the podcasting app of your choice.